Hearing systems - the selection criteria

and Eva Rudolf-Müller, doctor

Eva Rudolf-Müller is a freelance writer in the medical team. She studied human medicine and newspaper sciences and has repeatedly worked in both areas - as a doctor in the clinic, as a reviewer, and as a medical journalist for various specialist journals. She is currently working in online journalism, where a wide range of medicine is offered to everyone.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

The right acoustician

Finding the right hearing aid is not an easy task. Many factors play a role in the selection of the shape, technology and service of hearing systems. Before you even start choosing a hearing aid, you should find the right hearing aid acoustician. This specialist will not only sell you the device, but will also take care of its adjustment, maintenance and control over the next few years. For older people in particular, it is important that the shop is nearby or that the acoustician makes house calls. In any case, it should be easily accessible.

Make sure that the acoustician takes enough time for the consultation and responds to your wishes. Prices also play a role. They can vary widely from business to business. As a rule, the hearing aids on display are not marked in terms of price. That means you have to ask for the prices personally.

In the ear or behind it?

In order to make the right selection of a hearing aid, you should describe in detail your hearing needs for everyday life, work and your hobbies. From this, the acoustician will determine which hearing system is suitable for you.

Which design (behind-the-ear = BTE or in-the-ear = ITE) you choose depends on your preferences: Do you have no problem operating mini switches and tiny cogs? Should the hearing aid be as small as possible so that it cannot be seen? Then an ITE device is suitable. Or do you prefer a handy model without annoying fiddling? Do you want to wear your hearing aid openly so that others know immediately? Then a BTE device might be better for you.

Analog or digital?

Which technology you choose for a hearing aid is primarily a question of price. Fully digital hearing aids are more expensive than analog versions. But they have some technical finesse that can be very practical. However, the sound quality is not necessarily better than that of a programmable analog device.

Before you buy it, find out whether your statutory health insurance company or your private health insurance company will cover the entire cost of the hearing aid or how much the additional payment will be. For the severely hard of hearing, for example, the statutory health insurance companies have been paying the full amount of a digital hearing aid since 2010 if this is medically necessary.

Test wear!

Before you buy a hearing aid, you should test it extensively. After the acoustician has made the earmold, you can try out the different hearing systems under everyday conditions. This test phase is absolutely necessary and lasts at least a week.

During this time you will learn the advantages and disadvantages of the hearing aids and the acoustician can adjust the settings to suit your needs. When you try it out, you should also make sure that the hearing aid sits correctly, does not squeeze, but also does not fall out or fall. Be consistent: keep testing until you are satisfied!

Tags:  diet foot care therapies